Farmer appointed RMPP director

Five Forks farmer Jane Smith has been appointed an
independent director on the board of the Red Meat Profit
Partnership.

The RMPP is a red-meat sector and government collaboration
designed to boost sheep and beef farmer productivity and
profitability.

It is being funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries
through its Primary Growth Partnership, as well as by
industry partners Alliance Group, ANZCO Foods, ANZ Bank, Beef
and Lamb New Zealand, Blue Sky Meats, Greenlea Premier Meats,
Progressive Meats, Rabobank and Silver Fern Farms.

Mrs Smith (35) and her husband Blair - winners of the 2012
national Ballance Farm Environment Awards - run Newhaven
Farms Ltd, a sheep, beef, forestry and dairy support
operation in North Otago.

When contacted, Mrs Smith said the RMPP was a ''wonderful
opportunity'' for the industry. However, it also presented a
significant challenge and was quite a responsibility.

''We need to make sure we get these returns from these
projects,'' she said.

Making it work and delivering on those things was not just
for the board to do, but also all farmers, she said.

It was the first time in the history of the industry the
various players had worked together on such an initiative,
along with the Crown.

Mr Bailey said the programme was about taking on board the
output of the red meat sector strategy - which was launched
in 2011 with the aim of almost doubling the value of the
sector's earnings - and setting up projects to deliver on
various recommendations.

'' It's not about structural change in the industry, it's
about focusing on what is within farmer control - and there
is significant financial upside from these projects,'' he
said.